Garment covering device with motor-driven bag carrier



1953 R. P. INGRAHAM 2,649,233

GARMENT COVERING DEVICE WITH MOTOR-DRIVEN BAG CARRIER Filed June 1'7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 WWWWQ W%% J /z A J 7,2 /a

23i -/7 M 2/ 5 /6 20 49 35 F 45 Aug. 18, 1953 GARMENT COVERING DEVICE WITH MOTQR D RIVEN BAG CARRIER Filed June 17, 1947 A R. P. INGRRHAM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 W 4/ F a ll 4+ ii j I II 'I 4/ Z'Q B i J I HVVENTUR. fa @157? r P/fleWfl/w/v Aug. 18, 1953 'NGRAHAM 2,649,233

GARMENT COVERING DEVICE WITH MOTOR-DRIVEN BAG CARRIER Filed June 17, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 18, 1953 UNITED GARMENT COVERING DEVICE WITH MOTOR-DRIVEN BAG CARRIER Robert P. Ingraham, San Antonio, Tex.

Application June 17, 1947, Serial No 755,270

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to garment covering, and more particularly to an improved apparatus for conveniently and expeditiously placing a garment bag about a garment or garments.

It is a common practice at present for an operator to manually place a garment bag on a vertically suspended rod so that the rod extends through the opening formed in the closed top of a conventional garment bag and into the bag. The operator first moves the bag upwardly on the rod with one hand, and then with the other hand suspends a garment which is supported on a conventional hanger on the hook provided at the lower terminal of the rod. After the garment has been suspended, the operator then employs both hands to pull the bag down over the garment.

An object of this invention is to provide meansfor gripping a conventional garment bag and move it upwardly along a substantially vertical guide sufficiently to permit a garment supported by a conventional garment hanger to be suspended from the lower terminal of the guide, and then dropping the bag onto the suspended garment.

A specific object of this invention is to provide an automatic garment covering device which includes a substantially vertically suspended guide, a carrier movable longitudinally along the guide, means for securing a conventional garment bag to the carrier, an electric motor, a reel operably connected to the motor and driven thereby, a flexible element having one terminal secured to and adapted to be wrapped about the reel, and its opposed terminal secured to the carrier, means for electrically connecting the motor to a source of electrical supply to establish an electric circuit to the motor whereby the reel is rotated to move the carrier and bag upwardly along the guide suiiiciently to permit a garment supported by a conventional garment hanger to be suspended from the lower terminal of the guide, and means for breaking the electrical circuit to the motor whereby the bag and carrier gravitate suiiiciently to drop the bag onto the suspended garment.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide an automatic garment covering device which includes a support for suspending a substantially vertical slotted guide, a carrier mov able longitudinally along the guide and having a projection or rib extending through the slot of the guide, a spring clip normally constrained towards engagement with the said rib of the carrier to secure a conventional garrg ent bag to the carrier, an electric motor, a reel operably connected to the motor and driven thereby, a flexible element extending through the guide and having one terminal secured to and adapted to be wrapped about the reel, and its opposed terminal secured to the carrier, means for electrically connecting the motor to a source of electrical supply to establish an electric circuit to the motor whereby the reel is rotated to move the carrier and bag upwardly along the guide sufficiently to permit a garment supported by a conventional garment hanger to be suspended from the lower terminal of the guide, and means for breaking the electrical circuit to the motor whereby the bag and carrier gravitate sufficiently to drop the bag onto the suspended garment.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a garment covering device of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efficient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

For a complete disclosure of the invention, a detailed description thereof will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a form of the garment covering device;

Figure 2 is an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmental vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is atransverse sectional view taken on the line 5- of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the garment carrier;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 7 is an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 1 of Figure 6.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, iii indicates a support having an attaching plate H which is secured to a ceiling or other supporting structure by means or" screws (2, or

other suitable securing devices. A hinge ear l3 extends perpendicularly from the plate II.

A U-shaped bracket or frame [5 is provided, and its intermediate portion l6 has a flange H, which extends perpendicularly from a motor l8, secured thereto by screws 20, or other suitable securing devices. The motor I8 is preferably a shaded-pole motor which will .not overheat by an overload when installed. Flanges i2l-and -22 extend perpendicularly from the intermediate portion E6 of the bracket or frame l5, and the upper flange 2| has spaced hinge ears 23 extending perpendiculrly therefrom. The hinge tears 23 are arranged to straddle the hinge tear .l3,'.to which they are pivotally secured by a hinge bolt or pin 25, thereby permitting the bracket or frame to move about the hingepinzidrelativetto the support 10.

A tubular guide member 26 is secured to "a sleeve 2'! which is carried by the lower flange 22 of the bracket or frame l5. The 'tubularguide member is provided with 'a slot-28 which extends longitudinally thereof. Ah'ook 30 issecured to the lower terminal of the tubular gui'de member 25, and this hook'is adapted tobe engagedby the hook 3| of a conventional garment hanger 32, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

A slide member or'carrier 33 is mounted for longitudinal or axial sliding movement within tht tubular guide member 26, and this carrier is provided with a perpendicular longitudinallyextending bag-engaging rib or extension 35 which is adapted to be'slidablyreceived within the slot 28 formed in the tubular guide member 26. A. flexible element 36 is secured to an eye 31 carried at the upper terminal of the carrier 33, and this flexible element extends upwardly through the tubular guide member 26 and is secured to and adapted to be wound around a pulley or reel 38 mounted on the armature shaft 40 of the motor I8, 'for a purpose to "be hereinafter explained.

Any suitable means'maybe provided for attaching a conventional garment bag B to the carrier 33, and a preferredarrangement-includes a leaf spring 4| which 'has its upper terminal secured to the carrier 33 "and its lower terminal is provided with the arcuate bag-engaging portion 42 which is normally biased towards the bag-engaging rib 35.

A conventional mercury switch is supported on the bracket [5, and this switch has spaced contact members and M: secured therein which are electrically connected to the motor [8 through conductors 41 and 48. The mercury switch 43 is also electrically connected with a source of electric supply through conventional conductors, not shown.

In operation, when it is desired to cover a garment with a conventional garment bag, the upper terminal of the bag is passed over the lower terminal of the guide member '26 until the upper portion of the bag is clamped'between the bag-engaging rib 35 and the bag-engaging portion 12 of the spring lL'thus securing the bag to the slide member 33. The lower terminal of the normally vertical tubular guide member 26 is now manually moved so that the tubular guide member and bracket i5 are moved'about the hinge pin 25, thus tilting the mercury switch 43 so that the mercury therein bridges the contact members 45 and 16, thereby establishing an electric circuit to the motor to actuate it. Upon rotation of the reel 38 and armature shaft Allrof the motor, the flexible element orcord 36 iswound on theireel,

thereby moving the slide member 33 and garment bag B upwardly along the guide 26 until the slide member 33 reaches the sleeve 21, thus arresting its upward movement. This stalls the motor and holds the garment bag so that its lower terminal is above the hook 36. Now, the conventional garment hanger 32 having a garment G thereon i suspended from the hook 30. The weight of the garment and hanger moves the tubular support and frame 15 back to nor- .mal vertical position, in which position the mercury within the mercury switch 4.3 disengages *the contact members 45 and 46, thus breaking the circuit to the motor I3. This liberates the motor armature shaft 0 and reel 38 from any 'torque'pullythus permitting the cord 35 to unwind from the-.reel 38 until the garment bag B is dropped over the garment G suspended at the lowerterimnal of the guide 26. If the garment bag B does not gravitate sufficiently to entirely cover the garment, then the operator may supplement the covering action by grasping the lower terminal of the bag and pulling it entirely over the garment.

After the garment has been covered with the bag B, the covered garment is then removed from the hook 3Q so that the hereinbefore described operation may be repeated. Although the mercury switch breaks the electric circuit to the motor when the tubular guide member 26 is in vertical position, it is to be understood, of course, that a conventional manually-operated switch 45 may be placed in the circuit and thrown to off position when the device is not in use.

In the form of the invention depicted in Figures 6 and '7, the tubular guide 2% has its upper terminal secured, to a support that includes a sleeve 59 which extends downwardly from a housing 5i. The housing is enlarged at each terminal, as indicated at 52 and 53, for the reception of pulleys 55 and 56 which are rotatably supported on shafts 5'? and 53.

The enlarged terminal 53 of the housing 5! is'provided with a downwardly-extending sleeve 66 which is secured to the upper terminal of a tubular standard 6i which has its lower terminal secured to a flange 62 which extends upwardly from a base or support 63. The base or support is preferably of hollow frusto-conical configuration, having an inwardly extending lower annular flange to which are secured the supporting members or conventional castors 66. A shaded-pole motor i8 is secured to the base 63 by a bracket plate 57 carried by the base. This motor has a pulley or reel 38 secured to its armature shaft ii).

A cord or flexible element 36a is secured to, andis adapted to be wrapped about the pulley 38, from which the cord extends upwardly over the pulleys 56, through the housing 5 over the pulley 55, and downwardly through the tubular guide member 26 to the garment carrier 33. It is preferred that an intermediate portion of the cord 35a be thickened for an appreciable length, as indicated at 3629, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

A conventional electric extension cord 28 is carried by the base or support 63 and it is of sufficient length to reach a conventional wall socket, not shown. The wires of the extension cord 63 are electrically connected to a conventional foot-operated automatic-return switch l6 and the electric motor. it, as diagrammatically indicated in .Figure .6.

In operation, when it is desired to cover the garment G with a conventional garment bag B, the bag B is attached to the carrier 33, as hereinbefore explained, and then the foot-operated switch is pressed to establish an electric circuit to the motor 18, thereby causing the cord 36a to wind on the reel 38 until the carrier 33 reaches the upper terminal of the slot 28 formed in the tubular guide 36, thus arresting further upward movement of the carrier and suspended bag. In this position the thickened portion 36b of the cord 35a has been wrapped on the reel 38, but owing to its increased thickness, the cord will not wedge between the other convolutions of the cord and bind on the reel. In the upper position of the garment carrier 33, the bag B has been elevated sufiiciently to position its lower terminal above the hook 30 carried at the lower terminal of the guide 26. The garment G is now suspended from the hook 30, and when the switch is released, the circuit to the motor is broken so that the reel 38 unwinds to permit the bag B to drop onto the garment G, as hereinbefore explained. Inasmuch as the thickened portion 36b of the cord 35 forms the outermost convolutions of the cord in its Wound condition on the reel 38, the cord will readily unwind to permit the initial unwinding operation when the electric circuit to the motor is broken.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

In a garment covering device, a movable base, a hollow post rising from said base, a housing projecting laterally from the upper end of said post, a tubular guide member depending from the free end of said housing, said guide member having a slot disposed longitudinally thereof, a motor in said base and a reel operatively connected thereto, guide pulleys within said post and said housing, a flexible cable secured at one end to said reel and passing through said post over said guide pulleys and into said tubular guide, a carrier slidable within said tubular guide member and connected to said cable, a suspension member secured to the lower end of said tubular guide, and a clasp secured to said carrier and projecting laterally therefrom through said slot.

ROBERT P. INGRAHAM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,733,428 Ryan Oct. 29, 1929 1,821,672 Seidler Sept. 1, 1931 1,908,983 Kabat May 16, 1933 2,086,874 Miller et a1 July 13, 1937 2,122,852 Whitley July 5, 1938 2,132,995 Oliver Oct. 11, 1938 

